Tecom Access Control

[Hound-Dog]

I have a client with access control and alarm functions on a Tecom panel.
There are no RAS'es on site, all arming functions are done via 3 badge arming. User categories are used to delay arming after hours.
There is also an Auto Arm feature programmed. The problem is, there is no audible pre arm warning. I have thought about writing macros and so on, but I am throwing the problem to the forum to see if anyone has a viable solution. All access control functions are using 4 Door controllers, with one DGP for alarm inputs. The client has asked if we can make the readers beep during pre arm time, but as far as I know, this is not possible.
Any help?

[triton]

Hey Hound,
PM me with your email and i will send through something to help you out!

Cheers!

[downunderdan]

Is that going to be loud enough?

In the interest of false alarm reduction, exit warnings need to be prominent. Card reader beeps are quiet and assuming they beep all day, easily ignored. A few sonalerts will cause people to GTFO much more reliably and will probably be a lot easier to program anyway. Or maybe an antique Klaxon. AAH OOH GA!

[intelliGEORGE]

As Dan said, you're better off with a sonalert wired to a relay mapped to a timezone.

Program a Timezone that specifies the warning period.

The 'Start' time will be the time that the warning starts.
The 'End' time will be the time that the area specified in the Alarm Group will ARM, and the warning will end.

For example if you wanted a 5 minute warning before the area arms at 5:30 PM Mon to Fri and at 12:30 PM on Saturday, you will create a Timezone as follows;

Install Menu, Option 13.
Select a Timezone number to program and enter the start and end times and days for each segment.

TIMEZONE 1: AREA 1 WARNING START END
17:25 17:30 _ Mo Tu We Th Fr _ _
12:25 12:30 _ _ _ _ _ _ Sat _

After creating the Timezone, you'll need to program 'Relay Mapping' to provide a relay output for activating the warning device.

Go to Relay Mapping in Installer Menu, Option 16
Select the relay number you wish to program
Assign the programmed 'Timezone' that will control the desired relay
Specify that the relay is to be held ACTIVE during the timezone.

[DIYfan]

You do it with the auto-arm triggering a user category.

Eg: If you want to arm at 5:30pm with a 5 minute warning time, set the timezone to finish at 5:20pm, then have the user category run for 10 minutes with a warning time of 5 minutes. Then map the area's warning timer event flag to a relay or whatever.

[Hound-Dog]

Thanks George. I had planned to do it that way, but I was wondering if there was a better way.
I'll give it a go and see what happens.
The User Category idea has merit too. I'll look in to that one.
Thanks for your input.

I know it would not be an issue with a Concept 4000.

[DIYfan]

I know it would not be an issue with a Concept 4000.

It's not an issue on Tecom either. It's just that you don't know what you are doing.

[Hound-Dog]

You are probably correct that I don't know how to do what the client requires. However, having said that, I have yet to see any Tecom panel perform the tasks I have listed.
So far:

I have created an Alarm Group with control of area 1 Arm/Reset only.
I created a Timezone from 06:00 to 20:00 M-F
I created an Auto Access/Secure and allocated the Alarm Group and Timezone.
System normal. Area 1 arms at around 20:00.
The 1st problem is no audible warning.
So I created a second timezone, from 19:55 to 20:00.
I mapped that to a relay which drives a buzzer.
Now we get a full 5 minutes of buzzer, no matter what.
If at this stage the client badges his card, he needs to stop the buzzer, and provide a 2 hour gap before auto arming again.
This is where I come unstuck!
I have allocated the users Alarm group, and the Auto Arm Alarm group to user Category 1, and set the timer to 120.
Within 1 to 2 minutes after 20:00, the area arms!

[keef82]

Um, and what if the client wants to defer the arming?
they have to put up with 5 mins of beeping ?

bad idea.

As Dan said, you're better off with a sonalert wired to a relay mapped to a timezone.

Program a Timezone that specifies the warning period.

The 'Start' time will be the time that the warning starts.
The 'End' time will be the time that the area specified in the Alarm Group will ARM, and the warning will end.

For example if you wanted a 5 minute warning before the area arms at 5:30 PM Mon to Fri and at 12:30 PM on Saturday, you will create a Timezone as follows;

Install Menu, Option 13.
Select a Timezone number to program and enter the start and end times and days for each segment.

TIMEZONE 1: AREA 1 WARNING START END
17:25 17:30 _ Mo Tu We Th Fr _ _
12:25 12:30 _ _ _ _ _ _ Sat _

After creating the Timezone, you'll need to program 'Relay Mapping' to provide a relay output for activating the warning device.

Go to Relay Mapping in Installer Menu, Option 16
Select the relay number you wish to program
Assign the programmed 'Timezone' that will control the desired relay
Specify that the relay is to be held ACTIVE during the timezone.

[keef82]

The "basic" way is to progamme the exit timer event flag to a son alert, but you only have a 255 sec (max) period and have to programme inputs as needed (to prevent alarms on closing)

[DIYfan]

I might be reading this incorrectly, but I take it that you want the area to auto-arm at 8pm with 5 minutes beeping before auto-arm and the ability for the customer to defer arming for 2 hours if needed.

To achieve the above, take the following steps:

- Create an Alarm Group with Area 1 Arm/Reset only and User Category 1 ticked
- Create a timezone from 06:00 to 18:00 M-F
- Use the new TZ and AG in an auto-arm disarm record
- Go into Timers and set the User Category 1 time to 120 minutes and the warning time to 5 minutes
- Go into the user category programming and check area 1 in Areas to Time and Arm/Disarm.
- Go into Area 1 programming and set the warning timer event flag so you can then map it to a relay
- Make sure that the user and RAS Alarm Groups have User Cat 1 checked.

I hate typing directions out like this as I always seem to miss something. The programming manual goes through this scenario in better detail. The general principle is that the 2 hours user cat is activated at 6pm and runs until 8 which is when the system will arm without user interaction. Now that the user cat is there it gives you the warning time and the ability to defer arming.

[Hound-Dog]

I had already done most of the programming as you suggested DIYfan (see my previous post).
I altered the time zone to 18:00, and guess what....Area 1 armed up at 18:00 without making a sound. The User Category doesn't work unless someone triggers it first. I guess I will have to tell the client that it can't be done!

[DIYfan]

Here is an extract from the V8 manual. I had considered just telling you to RTFM in the first place, but I thought I would try to be helpful.

Automatic arming and disarming with a user category

A user category (linked to an alarm group) can be used in several ways.

• When automatic arming and disarming is used, a user category can provide a warning from the RAS (both the beeper and LCD display) prior to automatic arming. Also, the warning timer event flag can be used to operate a relay or other output (Figure 9 on page 41). See Programming automatic arming and disarming on page 41.

• When automatic arming and disarming is used, a user with the user category in their alarm group can delay the automatic arming by badging or entering their PIN during the warning time. This resets the user category timer (or area disarm timer) and allows for an extended disarmed time (Figure 10 on page 42).

[Hound-Dog]

I thank you for your patience, as you can imagine it is frustrating for me also. I have been working with Tecom panels since the mid 90's, so I am somewhat familiar with them.
OK, so you and I have both read the manual. It says 'A' and I am experiencing 'B'. The User category does not extend the auto arm time, unless a user has badged their card prior to the arm time. This is the issue.

[Hound-Dog]

I created a phantom area. I auto arm the phantom area 5 minutes early.
Using a macro, I use the accessed event flags to trigger a relay.
Early warning now works.
If someone badges, they disarm the phantom area, and start the Category Timer on area 1.
All is working as required.
Thanks everyone for your input.